Notes on the Personal Money Snapshot Form:

1. The reason we ask for your email address: It would be much, much better if we could have your email address so that Kate or I could ask follow-up questions for clarity — sometimes not everything is obvious from an outside perspective. THAT SAID, there are a lot of personal questions on the form, so I understand if you don’t want to share your address. I can’t quite figure out how to make that question optional, though, so just put something obviously fake and we’ll deal. (If you DO trust us with your email address, thank you very much! We will keep your info safe pursuant to the Corporette Privacy Policy — and I promise to never ever hit you up for a loan if you’re loaded.)

2. The general nature of the questions (and why it looks longer than it is): I’ve been observing reader comments and discussions on money for a long time, and I think the usual “what I spend in a week” summary isn’t necessarily illuminating or educational. That’s why the questions on the form are pretty wide-ranging — and it may seem long when you first look at it, but that’s because I’m not expecting EVERYONE to have something to say in EVERY category. (I’m assuming readers will have a lot to say in one or two of the sections and less in others.)

I also believe that people have “quadrants of knowledge” when it comes to personal finance. Maybe you know everything about country club fees, which markets are awesome for second homes, and which ostrich bag is REALLY worth the $10,000. That’s awesome, and we want to hear from you! We also want to hear from people who are in six figures of debt, flirting with bankruptcy, and/or living paycheck to paycheck (yes, even if you have a high income and are living paycheck to paycheck). We also want to hear from the FIRE people who are putting away $100K of their $120K income, and people who had their lives wildly shifted (for good or bad) by something like inheritance (hopefully good) or crazy medical bills (probably bad).

3. Big Picture questions: There are a few questions I want everyone to answer because I think they generally inform the reading of responses. One question asks specifically what your net worth was when you started working since I think there’s a huge difference in what your personal finance journey looks like if your net worth at 25 or whatever is -$260,000 (in debt) vs. $5,000 vs. $150,000. Another question asks, “Is there anything else we should know about you from a “Big Picture” perspective up front, for context, as it relates to your net worth, expenses, or debt?” I included that to delve into situations that we wouldn’t know to ask about but certainly affect your money situation, e.g., “had to be life-flighted to the hospital and had $100K in medical bills,” or “private schools are not optional for my family because I don’t believe my kids will get a fair shake in public school” or “all of our home-related finances are super high because my in-laws live with us and we pay for everything.”

Like I said, it’s pretty wide ranging and hopefully not TOO… asky. If there are specific questions that are offensive to people or otherwise problematic, I’d love to know which ones in particular. If people think there need to be specific questions added to any part of it, we’d love to hear those too.

Here’s a quick question for discussion today, though: what are your favorite resources to learn about money? What’s your favorite podcast, book, blog, or other resource?

single, mid-30s, LCOL suburb, USA… My work life is better than it’s ever been (though I’ve worked more than I ever have- have gone from approx. 40 hrs/week to 70ish), pets are healthy/happy, my rental apartment is consistent and all good. I do lots of volunteer work. Sometimes I think I might want to date but then realize I have no interest in making small talk and my work busy-ness would make it tough to make time for a new relationship. Great friends, though many are scattered throughout the country, so friend time is often phone, not so often in person.

Sometimes I just feel… down or something. Like when a kid needs a hug but can’t articulate why kinda thing. I snuggle with my pets, I have that companionship, I’m typically more of an introvert, but sometimes I feel meh or even meh minus. I can’t tell if it’s the cold and dark season or if it’s because I hate the holidays due to no family and all of society’s expectations for romantic gifts and a romantic NYE… how do I know if this is just seasonal and it will pass or if I should go talk to a doctor or consider anti-depressants or something?

I am a bit older, but this describes me well. I don’t want to suggest you absolutely don’t need to talk to a doctor or to consider anti-depressants, or to discourage you from exploring that, because I just don’t know. But I do think sometimes we just need more human contact than we are getting. While I feel like I have little to give, having taken care of 100% of my own needs for the better part of three decades, I also think I might have more to give if I were also getting. There is just no feedback loop if you aren’t dating and your friendships are remote. Maybe try to make a little more room for in-person contact.

The answer is simple. You, like me, need MORE then a job to feel fulfilled. You need a husband and children, fair and simple. A husband to keep you on the level and sane when you work 70+ hours a week, and to take care of things at home when you work, and kid’s for obvious procreative reasons. When I have this, I will be busy @home with them, and will not need the HIVE as much as I do not for support and succor. I think that if you start looking for a man to date, have s-x with, and even marry, and you find one that fits your needs and want’s, you will become alot happier! YAY!!!

We all need more than a job to be fulfilled, but to say you NEED a husband and children is a joke. What year is it, anyway? Maybe you feel you NEED those things, but it’s insulting to tell another woman that.

Similar life and my answer to this is always something physical – meaning physical touch from other people. If you aren’t interested in exploring some other options (me too) I recommend a regular, long massages.

If you are in the NY metro, I’m happy to give you a hug and have a cup of coffee. :)

I think look for some social situations near you and see if it helps (volunteer groups, knitting, exercise, church/spiritual groups, social dancing {swing and salsa dancers seem to be friendly and regular attendees….}). Sometimes it is just lonely, even if you are rocking it in every other aspect.

Very interesting! One thing that the questions don’t really cover that I would be really interested in is how your extended family comes into play – have they provided financial support, or do you provide support to them, that sort of thing.

Love love love this idea!!! I read the Money Diaries series but agree I don’t find the weekly spending summary all that useful. This is much better in terms of getting to the how and why of someone’s financial situation. Looking forward to seeing the responses!

I really like this idea! Two things I’d consider adding (in addition to the family support point above – e.g., parents pay for cell phone bill or school for kids or act as nanny)

1 – insurance. Curious to see what other readers have in terms of coverage (auto, renters/home, life, umbrella, personal articles) and how/when they decided to increase/obtain coverage

2 – charitable contributions. How often/how much? Has giving been impacted by the changes to the tax code either in amounts or timing, such as “bunching” donations every few years to take advantage of itemizing?

Finally, although this is probably another topic entirely, I’d be interested to hear how readers in relationships deal with finances with their partner, such as what’s shared v not shared (maybe just leave this as an open ended question so people can share if they feel like it)

* If you'd like to avoid the moderation queue in the future, please make sure that the top two fields (Username & Email Address) are filled out, and the checkbox is checked. Thank you for reading!
Back to Top